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TES Citizenship - Forum

Join other citizenship teachers in the TES Citizenship group. Find lesson ideas and inspiration, share best practice and get your questions answered by your peers. This is also the place to go to debate the latest issues in citizenship teaching.

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PGCE Citizenship

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    run4cover

     As a politics graduate currently on a citizenship PGCE I would say get on it as soon as you can!  Your experience and education would really help you and to be honest at the end of it you would probally have no bother getting a post in any of the social sciences.

    In my second placement I'm going to be teaching citizenship, history, sociology, geography, RE and even some maths.  At the end of the course I will have more varied teaching experience and be able to 'steal' the jobs off the other history and geography PGCE students. The employment rates for the last few years of my course are pretty fantastic and much better that the other humanities courses at my uni.

    The biggest problem you will come accross will be people asking 'isn't citizenship just PSHE' which after a few months on the course, will annoy the hell out of you. Make sure you research what citizenship actually is before you get into the interviews and be prepared to really stand up for what the subject is trying to achieve.

    Good luck with your application!

     

    I am going to pretend that I didn't read that bit about stealing jobs off History and Geography PGCE graduates! I think you are being a bit optimistic about what schools look for in subject specialists.
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    It's no wonder we struggle to find teachers for our A level government and politics and IB peace and Conflict studies etc. if everyone with suitable backgrounds wants just to focus on RE/ History / Geography. We are a thriving department offering GCSE Citizenship which feeds onto these courses alongside Economics etc. we are massively over subscribed and struggle to recruit every time we advertise or are asked to take on student teachers as they don't have the depth of knowledge we need for top notch teaching because they are historians etc. If you have a degree in law, politics, political sciences, international studies apply to Leicester uni PGCE - yes I realise that is outside London ask to do a placement where you can look at A level/IB and there will be a fight amongst schools in this region to have you.
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    This is really encouraging :)
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    I qualified in 2009 after doing a citizenship PGCE and whilst the course was tough, it's been the best thing I've ever done. I'm now a head of an oversubscribed and successful department (psychology and sociology) as well as the schools international coordinator responsible for bringing in nearly €27000 in grants for international projects and training so far. It's because of the versatile cv that training in a subject like citizenship gave me that I have a varied timetable teaching citizenship, re and in the past history, geography and public services too. If you're driven and passionate enough to find a gap for yourself in a school (like I did with my international work at my first placement school, who are now my employers) and school will be lucky to have you. Citizenship is such a fascinating subject, which truly engages students because we talk to them about important, relevant and controversial subjects! And on the topic of the decline of citizenship, my school is about to offer it as a GCSE for the first time, because they've realised that it looks like this subject is going to stick around!
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    It is more encouraging on the course. I am currently on a Citizenship PGCE and the resistance from teachers of other subjects for citizenship is nothing less than tragic; but the pupils love it. Given a chance to express how they view the world now, they absolutely love and thrive on it, regardless of ability. A History teacher asked me 'what is the point of citizenship when you can teach about diversity, culture, politics and law through RE, History and Geography?' I replied, 'True, but citizenship focuses it to where it has the best effect...now and the future.'
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    I say do it! My background is Politics, mainly, and the route was a great one for me. I have extensive experience teaching across the Humanities, Including History, Sociology, Geography, RS and even Business Studies. My results were pretty excellent across all subjects and I also introduced GCSE Citizenship into my second placement school and was offered a job. PGCE Citizenship enabled me to have a whole school focus even as a student as you're encouraged to be flexible. It put me ahead of my peers. I was rapidly promoted and completed my NPQH before my 7th Year in teaching.
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     Thanks a lot guys for sharing your differen-different views regarding Citizenship.I really appreciate your views,your views made me knowledgeable a lot regarding Citizenship subject.

     

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     Just to add to this.... on the jobs front.  I am currently on a course with 15 people.  10 of us have got jobs (Although I am the only person with straight citizenship, the others either have a mix of it with different subjects, or are teaching sociology, law or humanities) Of the 5 remaining ALL have had interviews and are waiting for the post-half term jobs to come out.  Many of the 5 have, for whatever reasons, not been able to be flexible with where they are living next year and this has reflected in the amount of jobs they have been able to apply for.

     Throughout the course I have recieved very nagative reactions from other teachers, including a head of department who sat me down to tell me I had basically wasted a year of my life training as a citizenship teacher because I would be unemployable when I came out at the other end.  Its a tough course, but all PGCEs are, you will probally have to teach other subjects in your placement schools, sometimes out of your comfort zone.  I would recomend focusing in on one or two other subjects, play to your strengths but also look for other things you can offer.  Unlike shortage subjects its not really enough to be able to just teach your subject so any extra-curricular clubs or extra department activities you can help run can only help you in the end.

     Good luck and I hope you enjoy your year!

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